Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

aardwolf

noun aard·wolf \ -ˌwu̇lf \

Definition of aardwolf

plural aardwolves play \-ˌwu̇lvz\
:a maned striped nocturnal mammal (Proteles cristatus) of southern and eastern Africa that resembles the related hyenas and feeds chiefly on insects and especially termites

People Are Reading

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III
alt-59e8af1b31525
Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'
alt-59ea52ed7b96f
Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Illustration of aardwolf

Origin and Etymology of aardwolf

borrowed from early Afrikaans, from aarde "earth" + wolf "wolf"; akin to Old English eorthe "earth" and to Old English wulf "wolf" — more at 1earth, 1wolf
Note: Regarding early Afrikaans aarde, see note at aardvark. The modern Afrikaans name for the animal is maanhaarjakkal.

Learn More about aardwolf

  1. Nglish: Translation of aardwolf for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of aardwolf for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about aardwolf

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up aardwolf? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

adversity

play

serious difficulty or misfortune

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. imbroglio "a public scandal"

  2. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  3. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  4. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  5. mike "microphone"

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59ea52ed7b96f
Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Where did we get 'freshman' and 'sophomore'?

alt-59e900afadac6
The Synonyms 'Discover' and 'Invent'

In the past, you could invent fruit.

alt-59e8c3440f453
I'll Have the Us(ual)

Shortening 'usual': easy to say, hard to spell

alt-59e77dc36c593
The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Bee Cubed
Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game